Press Releases

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM are using innovative technologies to focus on battery behavior during charging and discharging, the optimization of battery production and the aging of batteries. They use modern simulation tools and innovative measurement techniques to drive forward the further development of battery cells for electric cars. They will be presenting their research results at the Battery Show Europe 2025 from June 3 to 5.

Over the past three decades, Machine Learning has permeated the optimization of production processes, material and machine design and can now be found everywhere in industrial practice. It is therefore important for industry professionals to develop a basic understanding of it. Prof. Dr. Anita Schöbel, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, together with Prof. Dr. Jürgen Franke from the Universitiy of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU), has published the book »Statistical Machine Learning for Engineering with Applications«, which provides an accessible introduction to the concepts and methods of Machine Learning.

News from the Dutch Schoonschip: Since January, the floating energy community of 30 houses has been connected to the energy and flexibility markets. The innovative solution from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM for the real-time prognosis of consumption and local generation and price optimization enables the community to buy and sell electricity at the best possible prices on the day-ahead energy market. In addition, the 30 batteries are marketed by a trader on the imbalance market. This allows the community to further increase its flexibility and reduces energy costs for its members.

From the automotive sector to production: Simulations and digital twins are crucial to many companies. highly dynamic processes often cannot be satisfactorily mapped with conventional software, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM have developed a new method that works without a rigid computational grid and is able to simulate complex processes with great time savings and thus cost-effectively. Their efforts have earned them the 2024 Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize.

Optimizing batteries, whether for e-mobility or for large storage systems, is one of the most important tasks for industry and science. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, the simulation of battery models has been part of day-to-day business for years. The Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science and Health is now supporting a new project with just under one million euros to model the entire manufacturing process.

In order to drive forward the digitization of the energy infrastructure, there is a need for real, traceable measurement data from the energy world. Where there is already a good data situation for large generation units - thanks to obligations for transparency - there is still a large amount of blank space for real measurement data from energy consumers. However, this data represents an important basis for innovations in energy system transformation, whether for the creation of smart grids, efficiency measures or business models based on artificial intelligence. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM is contributing to the development of the "Open Energy Meter Data" platform, which aims to create a web-based contact point for collecting and analyzing energy consumption data.

A first vaccine against the SARS-Cov-2-virus is expected to be available soon. But many questions are still open: How many vaccine doses are available? Who should be vaccinated first? Where should people be vaccinated? How many doctors are needed for vaccination? Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM have now examined the last two questions together with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Technical University of Kaiserslautern (TUK).

The process of developing new generations of commercial vehicles and heavy equipment is complex. The hardware-in-the-loop technique gives researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM the opportunity to reproduce and virtually test machines in a software simulation, making machine development faster and more affordable. This technology also enables the testing of malfunctions and critical borderline situations without endangering people or the machine.

Complex optimization problems with many, in particular discrete variables are usually difficult to solve for classical computers. Only recently, certain types of quantum computers have achieved promising results in solving optimization problems. They showed the potential to handle discrete variables as well. In the joint project »EnerQuant: Fundamental modeling in energy economics with quantum algorithms«, the advantages of quantum computing are now to be used for an optimization problem in energy economics.

Billing fraud committed by contract physicians or outpatient nursing services has been the focus of investigations and media discussion in the healthcare sector for years. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM supports the efficient clarification with new methods.

International networks enrich the scientific exchange. Within the framework of the European Union's THREAD doctoral program, this is currently lived out twice at the Fraunhofer ITWM: In July, the institute welcomes THREAD doctoral student Denise Tumiotto, who will spend four weeks as a guest scientist in the field of "Mathematics for Vehicle Development". In addition, the first network-wide training took place at the beginning of the month, which the 14 PhD students of the program from eight European countries completed together.

Dr. Stefanie Schwaar from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM won the BMBF's call for funding young female AI researchers. She will establish and head her own research group at the mathematical institute from August 2020. Under the title »EP-KI: Decision Support for Business Management Processes with the Help of New AI Methods« they will work at the interface of business management and artificial intelligence (AI). An excellent network of administration, business and research supports the group, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the economy hard. What lessons can be learned from this experience? And what’s the best way for companies to protect themselves against this kind of crisis in the future? The answer will certainly involve a combination of different approaches – but new mathematical methods developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM look likely to be a very promising piece of the puzzle. These methods aim to calculate how the risks posed by supply shortages can be reduced significantly at very little extra cost.

How long can you wear a protection mask? When will you have to change a soaked mask? Researchers of the Fraunhofer ITWM tackle these question using mathematical models and computer simulations. It is important to take into account not only the type of mask and the filter material, but also the physical stress level and personal features of the wearer.

Especially when an infectious disease is new, mathematical models help to answer the two most important questions: How will the infection spread and what actions are appropriate and effective to contain it? In order to support local decision makers (health authorities, hospitals and especially municipalities) in planning their actions, researchers of the Fraunhofer ITWM are working on the epidemiological modeling, simulation and decision support of Covid-19 within the framework of the Fraunhofer Society's Anti-Corona Program (project name EpiDeMSE).

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM in Kaiserslautern are developing a prediction model for the spread of Covid-19 which, in contrast to classical models, is better able to detect "suddenly changing infection rates after actions have been taken". In addition, the researchers are simulating several spatially or age-separated groups in a network. The research work is being carried out as part of the "Fraunhofer vs. Corona" action program.

Simulations by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM make processes in the manufacturing of nonwovens more efficient. Within the anti-corona program of Fraunhofer the production of infection protection is optimized.

Catalysts are commonly used to reduce pollutants released in car exhaust. In order to manufacture catalytic filters with even higher efficiency, industry is increasingly relying on innovative mathematical models and machine learning (ML). In the newly launched collaborative research project «ML-MORE», researchers at the Cluster of Excellence «Mathematics Münster» at the University of Münster are working closely with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, the University of Stuttgart, TU Darmstadt and Umicore AG & Co. KG, a materials technology and recycling company. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project as part of «Mathematics for Innovations», a programme devoted to developing methods for handling large volumes of data. The BMBF has allocated approximately one million euros to finance the project over the next three years.«Mathematics for Innovations», a programme devoted to developing methods for handling large volumes of data. The BMBF has allocated approximately one million euros to finance the project over the next three years.

On April 1, 2020, Davide Manfredo should have started his doctoral studies at the Fraunhofer ITWM in Kaiserslautern. He participates in a very special program in which the EU is funding 14 PhD positions across Europe for three years: «THREAD - Joint Training on Numerical Modelling of Highly Flexible Structures for Industrial Applications». The focus is on the direct application of new research in industrial practice. THREAD aims to promote international exchange and mobility of young scientists. But mobility is difficult at the moment. Instead of Kaiserslautern, Davide is now working from his parents’ home in Turin, where he presented his master's thesis via Skype last week and thus completed his master's degree – with the highest score. Corona thwarted his travel plans, but not those of his career.

From 20 to 22 March 2020, the German government called under the heading #WirVsVirus, to develop solutions that will help citizens, medicine, research and politics to master their current challenges posed by the corona crisis. 23,000 people followed this call and worked on 1,500 projects. Researchers of Fraunhofer ITWM also took part in the hackathon, and in particular helped in three projects:

The preservation of historical art treasures requires not only restorers, but also research and the resulting high-tech solutions. This is especially true for world-famous works of art such as »L’Ultima Cena« by Leonardo da Vinci, which pose additional challenges to museums due to their age. The Fraunhofer ITWM now supports a new approach to restauration.

The amount of energy produced by renewable sources ebbs and flows. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM has found a smart work-around for these fluctuations. Its scientists developed an innovative energy management system that connects photovoltaic systems, batteries, heat pumps and electric cars to power individual households or entire neighborhoods with locally produced renewable energy.